Situation:
Our client is a private equity fund manager based in Toronto focused on mid-market buy-out opportunities in Canada and the US. They purchased a US company that develops, markets and distributes pet treat products and were looking to assemble a new executive team to bring the business to the next level. They recognized that the company had tremendous potential to further penetrate the market and anticipated at least a doubling of sales within five years via both organic growth and acquisitions. In order to meet this goal, they needed to hire an executive team consisting of a VP Supply Chain, VP Sales and CFO who had specific industry knowledge as well as experience working with private equity firms. The VP Supply Chain would be responsible for developing a best-in-class Supply Chain that ensures efficient and effective sourcing and distribution in order to meet customer and consumer expectations. The ideal candidate would be a results-oriented operations leader with extensive experience in small-medium enterprise, international sourcing and the consumer packaged goods industry.

Approach:
We met with the incumbent leadership team including the President and the Board to gain a thorough understanding of our mandate. We developed a company profile and reviewed the organizational structure to understand how the VP Supply Chain role fit within the company. Together, we drafted a position profiles as well as a go-to-market strategy to identify top candidates. Prospective candidates were personally researched, recruited, interviewed and assessed. Short-listed candidates were presented and recommendations made based on their qualifications and fit. We sequenced the hiring plan to first target the sales role, followed by this supply chain role and then the finance role.

Result:
We undertook an exhaustive search of the marketplace until we found individuals that fit the criteria of having relevant industry, private equity and functional area experience. The new VP Supply Chain came from a private-equity owned company that was recently sold to a strategic buyer. With over 20 years of progressive management experience and a track record of operationally supported rapid growth, this individual was an exceptional addition to the executive team. Overall, we assembled a highly competent leadership team and together with the VP Sales an CFO, the new VP Supply Chain was well-positioned from an operational and management perspective to contribute to the company's growth objectives.

Testimonial:
Bill has a creative and strategic approach to executive search. His efforts resulted in the hiring of key members of the Executive Team for one of our portfolio companies. Bill not only finds outstanding talent, but talent that fits into a uniquely entrepreneurial business. There is no shortage of executive search consultants in the marketplace, but there are very few that truly understand Private Equity – I highly recommend Bill. ?- Company Chairman